Having been half drunk on whisky, Remus can’t remember too clearly what he had said to initiate the play fight, but he knows it started with Sirius locking his elbow, firmly but not to hurt him, around his neck, and ended with Remus against the wall and Sirius’s palms pressed into his shoulders. It must have looked funny, with Remus being a good few inches taller than the other boy already.

Panting for breath, Remus spoke before he thought and said, “You’re pretty, Black. Pretty like a girl, sometimes.”

“Is that an insult?” Sirius was still pressing him into the wall, holding him only by the shoulders.

“No. Definitely not.”

Sirius let a little giggle escape, looking giddy and jittery, before leaning in to peck Remus on the lips, chastely.

His first kiss. Memorable despite how unremarkable it was. A simple press of chapped lip to chapped lip. A bit wet but mostly dry. So fast, and yet Remus had started smiling before it was over.

Sirius’ face was so close to his own when he pulled away, looking at him questioningly. “Did you like it?” He asked.

Remus couldn’t really find words, but he bravely reached his hands out to fiddle with the bottom of Sirius’ shirt in a way he hoped was enticing and nodded, clinging to the hope that he was at least capable of keeping Sirius interested. He had to have done something right thus far, for Sirius to have actually kissed him despite his oddities.

“I’ve wanted to do that for ages, you know?” Fingers twisted into t-shirts, pink risen high on winter pale cheekbones. The party carried on behind them.

“Me too.” Remus’ reply was quiet and shy. He just wanted Sirius to shut up and do it again but he couldn’t bring himself to initiate it.

The next kiss came quickly, and lasted a lot longer. Sirius’ hands seemed to love running the length of his torso and up his arms. At times, fingers tangled in his hair or brushed his chin in a softer way and Remus might have liked those moments most of all. His whole head seemed to fill up with the scent of Sirius’ skin and hair and the slight scrape of his nails and the occasional nip of his teeth, as if the stance of the other boy against him was suddenly the singular axis he spun around.

Somewhere in the background, James had spotted them, “Fucking finally! A round of applause folks!” They had broken apart and laughed and laughed and Remus had ducked his head shyly into Sirius’ collarbone.